At that moment, as the massive green dragon coiled around the entire Fire Island, the Fire God let out a helpless sigh.
"So you really have Rayquaza. No wonder you managed to capture that stupid ice bird. But as the Fire God, I won't be captured that easily!"
As soon as Moltres finished speaking, it spread its blazing wings and shot into the sky, its eyes filled with fighting spirit as it stared directly at Rayquaza.
In truth, both the Fire God before Aiden and the Ice God he had captured earlier were different from ordinary Legendary Birds.
They had once battled a true First-Tier Legendary.
Together, the Three Legendary Birds had combined their power and teamwork to defeat Lugia.
That achievement had given them absolute confidence.
Even when facing Rayquaza, they still possessed the courage to fight.
As Moltres released a sharp cry, a torrent of raging flames surged across the sky.
Just as Aiden was about to command Rayquaza to attack, Articuno suddenly flapped its wings and landed before him.
"Aiden, I have a request."
Aiden paused for a moment before nodding.
"What is it?"
Articuno stared at Moltres with obvious resentment in its eyes.
"I want you to command me. I want to personally defeat that stupid fire bird and help you capture him."
Aiden immediately understood.
Articuno had mentioned this before.
Because of the type disadvantage, it had lost to Moltres and Zapdos far more often than it had won.
Those countless defeats had accumulated into a mountain of frustration.
Now, however, things were different.
It had a Trainer.
And the synergy between a powerful Trainer and a powerful Pokémon was often greater than either could achieve alone.
Articuno wanted revenge.
Aiden naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Very well."
Articuno immediately perked up.
"Then let's begin."
"Articuno, Water Pulse!"
The moment Aiden gave the order, powerful Water-type energy gathered within Articuno's beak.
An icy-blue sphere rapidly condensed before being launched directly toward Moltres.
"Hmph!"
Moltres snorted.
"You're not even using Rayquaza? Just sending out this idiot bird?"
"Then you'll never capture me!"
The next second, a massive Fire Blast erupted from Moltres.
Once again, Water Pulse collided head-on with Fire Blast.
Boom!
The resulting explosion generated a huge cloud of steam that instantly covered the battlefield.
Seeing the thick white mist spread through the sky, Aiden smiled.
"Perfect."
"Articuno, another Water Pulse!"
Without hesitation, Articuno obeyed.
A second sphere of water formed.
Guided by Aiden's command, it locked directly onto Moltres hidden within the steam.
Unable to see Articuno's movements through the fog, Moltres had no chance to evade.
The attack struck squarely.
A sharp cry echoed across the battlefield.
Furious, Moltres beat its wings violently, dispersing the steam cloud.
Then it stared at Aiden in disbelief.
"That's impossible!"
"How did you know where I was?"
Aiden simply smiled.
Moltres still hadn't realized he possessed psychic powers.
Meanwhile, Articuno was practically glowing with satisfaction.
For the first time in ages, it was completely suppressing its old rival.
"Hmph!"
"Stupid fire bird!"
"Today you'll definitely lose to me and my Trainer!"
As Articuno shouted those words, its bond with Aiden deepened further.
Ding!
Articuno's Affinity has increased.
Current Affinity: 200.
Hearing the system notification, Aiden continued calmly.
"Articuno."
"Use Mist."
Without hesitation, Articuno released a dense veil of white fog.
The battlefield disappeared beneath another layer of mist.
"Good."
"Now use Rain Dance."
Dark clouds immediately gathered overhead.
A moment later, torrential rain began pouring across Fire Island.
Sizzle!
The rain struck the volcanic terrain, generating countless clouds of steam.
The Fire-type Pokémon living on the island hurried into hiding.
As for Moltres—
It was furious.
It could accept losing to Rayquaza.
Perhaps.
But losing to Articuno?
Absolutely not.
"Damn it!"
Its entire body erupted with flames.
A colossal pillar of fire shot into the sky.
"Burn Up!"
The devastating attack roared toward Articuno.
"Tailwind."
"Follow the wind currents and gain altitude."
At Aiden's command, Articuno immediately gathered Flying-type energy around its wings.
Its speed increased dramatically.
With a graceful movement, it ascended into the sky and narrowly avoided Moltres' ultimate attack.
"Now!"
"Another Water Pulse!"
The instant Moltres completed Burn Up, Articuno seized the opening.
Empowered by the heavy rain, the Water Pulse slammed directly into the Fire God.
Boom!
Moltres was blasted out of the sky.
"Ice Beam!"
Freezing energy erupted.
The falling Fire God was instantly encased in a massive block of ice.
For a brief moment, Moltres was completely frozen.
However, the divine flames surrounding its body continued burning.
Crack!
The ice shattered.
Moltres escaped and returned to the sky.
Yet compared to earlier, it now looked significantly more battered.
Seeing itself being completely suppressed by Articuno, Moltres' expression darkened.
"Unbelievable."
"Just because you have a Trainer, you can actually overpower me?"
Then its gaze shifted toward Aiden.
"You humans really are fascinating creatures."
Rayquaza alone was already enough to shock it.
But what impressed Moltres even more was Aiden's ability to earn Articuno's trust.
Under Aiden's command, Articuno had become stronger than ever before.
That fact alone was remarkable.
Moreover, Moltres had sensed another presence beyond Fire Island.
An aura that wasn't weaker than Rayquaza's.
Yet it wasn't Lugia either.
Most likely, another Legendary Pokémon.
A single human possessing so many divine beings while also having such incredible command ability—
It truly was extraordinary.
Moltres gradually calmed down.
A clear cry echoed through the sky.
"Human."
"You've successfully earned my interest."
"Perhaps becoming your Pokémon wouldn't be such a bad experience."
Aiden smiled.
Things were progressing exactly as he had hoped.
"But."
Moltres continued.
"As the Fire God, I cannot simply abandon Fire Island."
"Before I leave, I must choose a successor."
"A new Fire God."
"Therefore, human, I ask you to remain on Fire Island for two days."
"Once I complete the transfer of my responsibilities, I will willingly follow you."
Hearing those words, Aiden smiled even wider.
Just as he had expected.
The process would be exactly the same as Articuno's.
These Three Legendary Birds truly were troublesome gods.
But considering their strength, waiting a couple of days was more than worthwhile.
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